Samaritan Aramaic

Samaritan Aramaic is a dialect of Aramaic that was spoken by the Samaritans in the Land of Israel until the early modern period. Samaritan Aramaic is still used today by a small number of Samaritans in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Samaritan Aramaic is a Semitic language like Hebrew and Arabic. It is closely related to Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, which was the Aramaic dialect spoken in the Babylonian Exile. Samaritan Aramaic has also been influenced by Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek. The Samaritans are a religious group who practice a distinctive form of Judaism. They revere the Samaritan Pentateuch, which is a version of the Hebrew Bible that includes the Books of Moses. The Samaritans believe that Mount Gerizim, in the West Bank, is the holy site of their religion. The Samaritans have a long history of conflict with the Jews. In the 8th century BCE, the Assyrian Empire conquered the Kingdom of Israel and exiled the Israelites to Assyria. The Samaritans later settled in the Kingdom of Israel, which was then conquered by the Babylonians. After the Babylonian Exile, the Samaritans returned to the Land of Israel. The Samaritans were persecuted by the Jews during the Hasmonean Dynasty and were forced to convert to Judaism. In the 4th century CE, the Emperor Constantine decreed that all Jews must convert to Christianity. The Samaritans revolted against this edict and were massacred by the Byzantine Empire. The Samaritans survived the Arab Conquest of the Land of Israel and were tolerated by the Muslim Caliphate. However, they were persecuted by the Crusaders and were forced to convert to Christianity. The Samaritans revolted against the Crusaders and were massacred. The Samaritans were once again tolerated by the Ottoman Empire. However, they were persecuted by the Zionist movement and were forced to flee to Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Today, there are only about 700 Samaritans remaining in the world. Most of them live in Holon, Israel. The Samaritans have their own schools, hospitals, and places of worship. The Samaritans have been able to maintain their unique culture and identity despite centuries of persecution. Samaritan Aramaic is one of the few Aramaic dialects that is still spoken today.